Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy said she fell for One Direction star aged 10

Kate Cassidy opened up about her love story with , revealing how she fell for the former star when she was just a child. At a mere 10 years old, Kate nurtured dreams of ending up with the Wolverhampton-born heartthrob, despite his global fame and legions of fans as part of the top-charting boyband.

Now 25, Kate always had her heart set on marrying Liam, never really believing how her life would unfold. Yet tragically, at the age of 31, Liam met a fatal end after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina, succumbing to multiple traumas that led to “internal and external haemorrhage”.

The awful incident occurred while he was vacationing in Buenos Aires and Kate had left for Florida only two days prior.

Although many idolise celebrities from afar, a precious few actually get a chance to date their idols. This is what made Kate’s reality so surreal when she eventually met Liam by chance one night.

Recounting her story, she disclosed that he was her “childhood crush”, someone whose posters adorned her bedroom walls since the age of 10, she told .

“Growing up, I had posters on walls. I think I had a One Direction one but I don’t know if I had his solo poster. But I did have him at some point on my wall,” Kate revealed. She then told the publication: “Yeah, I probably did the One Direction dance routines – Liam was a pretty good dancer.”

She described the late musician as one of the greatest people she’d ever met, and his fame and vast wealth made no difference to her. The pair met at a bar in South Carolina in September 2022, with Liam asking for her number then asking her out.”

Kate also dismissed cruel accusations that she abandoned Liam before his death, revealing that she had only returned to their Florida home to look after their rescue dog, Nala.

“I had a responsibility,” she said. “We had our dog, and I never thought something like this would happen.”

Kate said his relapse came “out of nowhere.” Still grieving, she attends therapy and avoids Liam’s music, saying, “Maybe one day, but not right now.”